This Present Disclosure relates, generally, to a flexible cable connector, and, more specifically, to a mounting structure and method for a flexible cable connector wherein the cable is mounted on the upper surface of a printed circuit board (PCB), but the soldering takes place on the lower surface of the PCB.
In order to increase the degree of design freedom in information technology products and the like, the use of flexible printed circuits or flexible flat cables, rather than rigid PCBs, has become widespread. Typically, a connector is used in order to electrically connect a flat circuit cable of this type with a PCB.
Recently, as the thickness of electronic products with parts mounted therewithin including flexible cable connectors has decreased, two-sided PCBs have gradually been replaced by one-sided PCBs. On one-sided PCBs, a pattern is formed only on the top, and there are no holes connecting top and bottom. The bottom serves only as a base, which has the advantage of reducing production costs. An example of a flexible cable connector being mounted to a one-sided PCB is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 1221506, applied for and registered by the Present Applicant. The content of this Patent is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. In addition to this, due to the above-mentioned advantages, many flexible cables are mounted to one-sided PCBs.
However, although flexible cable connectors like that disclosed in the '506 Patent do have the above-mentioned advantages, it is often difficult to secure space between parts for soldering, because all parts must be soldered at the same time they are mounted.